Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20100321.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Micah: An Eloquent Presentation Of God's Salvation From Ungodly Leadership
Part VII: Cycle Four Of Doom And Hope: God's Word To His Own In A Nation Ripe For Judgment
A. Doom Segment One: The High Cost Of Neglecting God's Word
(Micah 6:1-8)
  1. Introduction
    1. Isaiah 8:20-22 reports that when people cease paying attention to God's Word, spiritual darkness sets in, leading to frustration, then to anger, insecurity and eventually to a sense of deep hopelessness.
    2. Micah 6:1-8 in its context illustrates this truth for us, and provides a tremendous application for our era:
  2. Cycle Four Of Doom And Hope: God's Message To The Upright In A Nation Ripe For Judgment.
    1. The Micah 6:1-7:20 segment of the chiasmus that forms Micah's prophetic book is the fourth and final "Cycle of Doom and Hope" segment of that book that so eloquently calls the people of Judah to repent.
    2. Micah 6:1-8, the first leg of the "Doom" part of that segment, reveals the huge cost people pay if they neglect paying attention to God's Word. We view that passage for our insight and edifying application:
      1. In Micah 6:1-2, God called on witnesses throughout the world as typified in His calling the mountains, hills and foundations of the earth, to hear His lawsuit against Judah, Bible Know. Com., O. T. , p. 1488.
      2. The charge He brought was that the nation had felt God had become irrelevant and wearisome to His people when He was actually the entire Cause of their blessing and even national existence, Mic. 6:3-5:
        1. A play on words exists in the Hebrew text involving the verbs "I wearied you" KJV ("burdened" NIV) in Micah 6:3 and "I brought you up" (KJV, ESV, NIV) at Micah 6:4: the first is "hel'etika " and the latter is "he'elitika," L. C. Allen, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah (NICOT), 1976, p. 366.
        2. In effect, God charged Judah with having thought He had wearied her (hel'etika) so that she had gone after other, more intriguing false deities, when, in reality, He was the One Who had brought her up ( he'elitika), delivering her from Egypt, thus even forming her as a nation out of past slavery.
        3. To show how illogical it was to claim that God was not interesting or irrelevant to Judah, the Lord greatly expanded on the mighty, glorious and dramatic nature of this deliverance from Egypt in Micah 6:4b-5: (1) He had redeemed Israel out of slavery, Micah 6:4b. (2) Then, He had sent Moses, who gave her the nation's law, Aaron, who gave her the priesthood and Miriam who had led the nation in worship and praise of God at His great deliverance of Israel from Pharaoh's chariots at her crossing of the Red Sea, Micah 6:4c; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., O. T. with Exodus 15:20-21. (3) Also, in Israel's ensuing wilderness travels to the Promised Land, God had delivered her from Balak and Balaam's potentially harmful witchcraft spells (Micah 6:5a; Ibid.), and (4) He had led Israel to cross the Jordan River, from her journey from Shittim on the eastern shore to Gilgal west of the river, Micah 6:5b; Ibid. This geographical reference is packed with implications in this Micah 6 context: in that crossing, God had caused Israel to pick up 12 large stones from the riverbed to be piled on the western shore to act as a witness to all later generations of His great help first at the Red Sea and then again at the Jordan, revealing His faithfulness to Israel and greatness seen by the pagan nations, too, Joshua 4:20-24 with 2:9-11. This has great significance in this Micah 6 context, for God here called the pagans as witnesses to His right to level His lawsuit against Israel, Mic . 6:1-2!
      3. However, the nation Judah of Micah's era could only respond to God's charge, asking if God would be pleased by her offering ritual sacrifices and gifts in an empty, externalistic religiosity, Micah 6:6-7.
      4. God responded through Micah, saying He had already shown Judah what was good, namely, that she was to live her faith in heart, to practice justice, love loyal love ( chesed) and to walk humbly with her God, Mic. 6:8. In other words, Judah had NEGLECTED paying heed to God's Biblical records about His past deliverance of her from Egypt and all the wonders that had been involved in it! This NEGLECT had led God's people to FORGET their NEED for GOD, resulting in their DRIFT from worshiping Him to worship false gods, resulting in apostasy and coming judgment!
Lesson: In neglecting God's Word, Judah forgot how much she needed the Lord, so she departed from Him in heart to serve Him superficially, and to worship false gods, leading to coming divine judgment!

Application: May we not neglect God's Word to our harm, but stay focused on its contents for blessing!